Shelving Assemblies and Methods of Use of the Same

ABSTRACT

Shelving assemblies and methods of use of the same are disclosed. The shelving assemblies include at least a pair of side units having protrusions that extend therefrom and that are received in receptacles on a plurality of shelves.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/952,451 filed Jul. 27, 2007.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to shelving assemblies for supportingor displaying objects and, more particularly, to shelving assemblieshaving shelves and side units and methods of use of the same.

BACKGROUND

It is common to support or display items on a shelving assembly. Forinstance, often shelving assemblies are used within a retailmerchandising or residential environment. Shelving assemblies have beenavailable for support and display purposes in various forms, such asthose made of tubing, panels, or wire, and of materials such as metal,plastic, wood or the like.

The present disclosure provides enhanced, simplified, low cost shelvingassemblies for stand alone support and display of items. The disclosurealso illustrates some example shelving assemblies with the potential toquickly and conveniently adapt displays to changing needs, such as maybe found with retailers using shelving assemblies in point of purchasedisplays in an effort to best utilize merchandising space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first example shelving assembly.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the example shelving assembly shown inFIG. 1, with the side units separated from the shelves.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a shelf for use in the example shelvingassembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the shelf shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of another example shelf for use in ashelving assembly.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the shelf shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a side unit for use in the exampleshelving assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another example side unit for use in ashelving assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another example shelving assembly.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the example shelving assembly shown inFIG. 7 with the side units spaced further apart.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the example shelving assembly shown inFIG. 7, with the side units separated from the shelves.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a shelf for use in the exampleshelving assembly shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10B is a side view of the shelf shown in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a side unit for use in the exampleshelving assembly shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following discloses example shelving assemblies for usesupporting and/or displaying items, such as for use in point of purchasedisplays, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that theteachings of this disclosure are in no way limited to such specificembodiments. On the contrary, it is contemplated that the teachings ofthis disclosure may be implemented in alternative configurations andenvironments. For example, although the example shelving assembliesdescribed herein are described in conjunction with configurations fordisplaying items on inclined shelves, such as boxes of food items orother goods, or free standing literature such as books or periodicals,those having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that theexample shelving assemblies may be used for support and/or display ofother types of items and may be configured to correspond appropriatelyto the items to be displayed, whether requiring placement at a differentangle, additional containment, support or other features. Similarly,while the shelving assemblies illustrated are configured to be placed ongenerally horizontal surfaces, it will be appreciated that exampleshelving assemblies also may be configured to be hung from substantiallyvertical surfaces, such as a common wall, pegboard, slatwall or thelike.

The example shelving assemblies shown also may provide the optionaladvantageous feature of having an open back. Depending on the particularconfiguration and placement of the shelving assembly chosen, this allowsitems of various sizes to be shelved without obstruction from the rearof the assembly, and may provide for increased side access, and moreeven distribution of airflow, and light. The disclosure includesshelving assemblies that include shelves and side units, and use of suchshelving assemblies.

The disclosed examples may be used in any type of format to supportand/or display items. Thus, the methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture disclosed herein may be advantageously adapted to enhance orimprove the organization, support, display and/or dispensing of any typeof items. Accordingly, while the following describes example shelvingassemblies and methods of use thereof, persons of ordinary skill in theart will readily appreciate that the disclosed examples are not the onlyway to implement such shelving assemblies and/or methods.

A first example shelving assembly 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3B and 5.The illustrated example shelving assembly 10 includes a plurality ofshelves 20, and a pair of side units 30. The shelves are constructed ofsubstantially rigid materials, such as metal, plastic wood, or the like,and include a main body 22, shown in an example having a substantiallyflat upper surface 22 a with an upward extending front lip 24. The frontlip 24 adds rigidity to the shelf 20 and may be included to help containtaller or less rigid items, while still including space along the frontof the shelving assembly 10 for permitting a user to easily grasp andremove items. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the artthat the upper and lower surfaces need not be flat and that upstandinglips or walls may be formed or connected to the shelves 20 along theperimeter of the shelves or anywhere on the upper surface 22 a or lowersurface 22 b, as desired.

In the illustrated example, the shelves 20 also have a pair ofreceptacles 26, 28 along a lower surface 22 b. In this example, thereceptacles 26, 28 are spaced apart and parallel to each other. As bestseen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the receptacles 26, 28 provide an elongatedchannel portion 26 a, 28 a. While the example receptacles 26, 28 areshown as being integrally formed with the main body 22 of each shelf 20along its lower surface 22 b, it will be appreciated that receptaclescould be separately formed and then connected to a main body by suitablefastening or joining methods, whether above the upper surface, below thelower surface or coincident with a portion of the thickness of the mainbody 22. Also, the receptacles 26, 28 need not extend the entire lengthof the main body 22. Depending on the configuration chosen, thereceptacles also need not necessarily be parallel. However, oneadvantageous feature of using integrally formed, parallel receptacles isthat the shelves may be extruded as a single plastic piece, and may beformed in a variety of lengths, without requiring different tooling.

The side units 30 of the first example shelving assembly 10 are bestseen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, and are constructed of substantially rigidmaterials, such as metal, plastic, wood, or the like, and in forms suchas wire or rods, tubes, panels, or combinations of such materials andforms. In the illustrated first example shelving assembly 10, each sideunit 30 includes a frame 32 and a plurality of U-shaped members 34 thatare connected to the frame 32. In the illustrated example, the frame 32is in the form of a closed loop shape having a pair of substantiallyparallel upright members 32 a and a pair of substantially parallelhorizontal members 32 b. Each U-shaped member 34 provides added rigidityto the frame 32 and forms a pair of protrusions 36 that extend outwardfrom the frame 32, generally within a plane that is substantiallyperpendicular to a plane of the frame 32. In the example shown, each ofthe side units 30 is formed entirely of metal wire or rod, such as, forexample 3/16 inch diameter steel wire, although it will be appreciatedthat other suitable materials and sizes may be used. The frame 32 ismade from a single piece of wire bent and butt welded to form the closedloop, although the example frame 32 could be formed of two or morepieces suitably joined together. The protrusions 36 are then joined tothe frame 32 via the U-shaped members 34, which in this example also aremade of bent wire or rod and joined to the frame 32, such as by welding.It will be appreciated that the side units could be formed so as to havelegs and the protrusions could be formed with and/or connected directlyto upright members.

The structure of the side units 30 may include at least a fewadvantageous features. For instance, the illustrated example side units30 are constructed of few components and by quite conventionalconstruction methods. Also, a common side unit 30 may be configured andconstructed to be used in pairs to form a shelving unit 10 due to thesymmetry formed by positioning a second side unit 30 in a manner so asto be inverted and rotated 180 degrees, to be turned to face a firstside unit 30. This placement creates a mirror image or symmetricalformat by which the respective protrusions 36 of each of a pair of sideunits 30 face each other and may be accepted into respective ends of thereceptacles 26, 28 of the shelves 20. Having common structures for theside units 30 therefore may reduce the need to build and stock differentright and left side units, and may permit compact stacking of side units30 for shipment and/or storage when they are placed in a similarorientation. Thus, it will be appreciated that, although they need notbe, the side units may advantageously be made in a symmetrical manner.

As shown in the illustrated example, to assemble the shelving assembly10, the protrusions 36 on the side units 30 are inserted into the endsof the respective receptacles 26, 28 of a plurality of shelves 20. Inthis example, the protrusions 36 are sized to obtain a snug, press fitwithin the receptacles 26, 28 of four similar shelves 20. However, itwill be appreciated that the protrusions could be configured to obtain asnap fit, a slip fit, and/or a connection being achieved by use ofadditional fastening methods, such as by use of adhesive or mechanicalfasteners. In this manner, the shelves 20 become structural elementsthat connect the side units 30 and form a portion of the overallstructure of the shelving assembly 10. Also, it will be appreciated thattwo or more shelves may be used in forming a shelving assembly.

This structure also permits the use of common side units 30 with shelves20 of different lengths. Thus, a series of shelves of a common greateror lesser length could be used with the side frames 30. Also, dependingon the length chosen for the protrusions 36, the shelves within ashelving unit may be of different lengths and/or the side units 30 maybe moved further apart to add width to the shelving assembly 10 withoutusing longer shelves.

In the first illustrated example, the receptacles 26, 28 are shown asbeing continuous in length and integrally formed with the shelves 20.This is an example configuration that provides increased bendingstrength for the shelves 20. The receptacles may be configured to beabove, below or in line with the main body of the shelves. Thereceptacles also may be configured to form a shelf front or rear lip, orto form one or more dividers along the upper surface of a shelf,offering still further design alternatives.

The example side units 30 may be configured with longer or shorterlength protrusions 36 depending on the support desired for the shelves20, such as for the desired length and load capacity of the shelves 20,and on the spacing of the shelves 20 from the upright members 32 a ofthe shelving assembly 10. The protrusions 36 also can be located atvarious heights and distances from each other to create many differentshelving assembly formats. For instance, in the example formed of metalwire or rod, the protrusions 36 are spaced further apart than thevertical members 32 a of the frame 32. The angle of the U-shaped members34 and their location and resulting location of their protrusions 36relative to the frame 32, along with the location of the receptacles 26,28 on each shelf 22, permit many design alternatives.

Assembling the shelving assembly 10 may be accomplished in various ways,each of which requires first and second side units 30 to be spacedapart, with the second side unit 30 facing and aligned with the firstside unit 30. In this example, this may be accomplished by inverting androtating one side unit relative to a like second side unit. Theprotrusions 36 on the side units 30 are inserted into the ends of therespective receptacles 26, 28 of a plurality of shelves 20 placedtherebetween, and the side units 30 are moved closer together to theirdesired spacing. One method of conveniently accomplishing this is tobegin by laying a first side unit 30 on a ground surface with theprotrusions 36 extending upward. Then, a first end of the receptacles26, 28 of a plurality of shelves 20 are installed on the protrusions 36of the first side unit 30. A second side unit 30 is then inverted androtated relative to the first side unit 30 so as to have the protrusions36 extending downward and aligned with the protrusions 36 of the firstside unit 30. The protrusions 36 of the second side unit are theninstalled in the second end of the receptacles 26, 28 of the pluralityof shelves 20, and the side units 30 may be moved to their desiredspacing relative to the shelves 20. The shelving assembly 10 then may bemoved to an upright position for use.

Turning to FIGS. 4A and 4B, a second example of a shelf 120 is shown. Aswith shelf 20 described above, shelf 120 may be made in a variety ofconfigurations and with many different suitable materials. In thisexample, shelf 120 has a main body 122, shown with a substantially flatupper surface 122 a with an upward extending front lip 124. In theillustrated example, the shelf 120 also has a pair of receptacles 126,128 along a lower surface 122 b of the main body 122 of shelf 120. InFIGS. 4A and 4B, it can be seen that the receptacles 126, 128 are spacedapart and parallel to each other, and are tubular in shape. Thisconfiguration can be achieved by integrally forming the receptacles 126,128 with the main body 122 or by connecting separate receptacles 126,128 to a main body 122 by suitable fastening or joining means. Also, thereceptacles 126, 128 need not extend the entire length of the lowersurface 122 b of the main body 122.

A second example side unit 50 is shown in FIG. 6. The side unit 50includes a frame 52, which is constructed of a panel made ofsubstantially rigid materials, such as metal, plastic, wood, or thelike, in a generally planar configuration. The side unit 50 alsoincludes protrusions 56 that extend outward from the frame 52. Theprotrusions 56 may be, but need not be, formed of a similar material tothe material used to make the frame 52 and then connected to frame 52 bysuitable fastening or joining means. Alternatively, the side unit 50 maybe integrally formed, such as by molding of plastic, to include a frame52 of a panel configuration with integral protrusions 56, in the form ofrods, tubes, or the like extending outward therefrom.

It will be appreciated that the side units 50 may similarly beconfigured to provide a common side unit 50 for use on both left andright sides of a shelving assembly by inverting and rotating one of theside units 50 with respect to another such side unit 50. While thestacking format for shipment or storage of the side frames 50 may notallow quite the same sort of higher density nested stacking as ispossible with the side units 30, the side units 50 still may provide atleast the benefit of having a common side unit 50 that can be used onboth sides of a shelving assembly 10.

Another example shelving assembly 210 is shown in FIGS. 7-11. Thisfurther illustrated example shelving assembly 210 includes at least twoshelves 220, and a pair of side units 230. The shelves are constructedof substantially rigid materials, as disclosed above with respect toshelves 20. The example shelves 220 include a main body 222 having asubstantially flat upper surface 222 a and lower surface 222 b. Theexample shelf 220 also includes a front lip 224 extending both upwardand downward relative to the upper and lower surfaces 222 a and 222 b ofthe main body 222. The front lip 224 may be included for similar reasonsto those disclosed above with respect to front lip 24 on the firstexample shelving assembly 10, and it will be understood that alternativeconfigurations may be employed.

In this illustrated example, the shelves 220 include a pair ofreceptacles 226, 228 along the lower surface 222 b. As best seen inFIGS. 10A and 10B, the receptacles 226, 228 of this example are formedas open channels 226 a and 226 b which face each other. While theexample receptacles 226, 228 are shown as being integrally formed withthe main body 222 of the shelf 220 along its lower surface 222 b, itwill be appreciated that receptacles could be separately formed and thenconnected to a main body by suitable fastening or joining methods. Also,as with the prior example, the receptacles 226, 228 need not extend theentire length of the lower surface 222 b of the main body 222. As withthe prior example shelves illustrated, this example shelf 220 may bemade with the advantageous feature of using integrally formed, parallelreceptacles that permit the shelves to be extruded as a single plasticpiece which may be formed in a variety of lengths, without requiringdifferent tooling.

The example shelves 220 also include apertures 227 which receiveblocking members 229, best seen in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The blockingmembers 229 are shown, for example as clips that may be made of plastic,metal or other suitable materials and may be configured to obtain a snapfit and/or to otherwise be removable. Blocking members 229 may be usedto block removal of a side unit protrusion 236 from a shelf 220. It willbe appreciated that the blocking members 229 may be of alternativeconfigurations that will provide the blocking function, such as may beprovided with a screw and nut, or other suitable fasteners, and may beconnected to the shelves in alternative ways, such as by mounting to thelower surface 222 b of a shelf 220.

The side units 230 of the example shelving assembly 210 are best seen inFIGS. 8, 9 and 11, and are constructed of substantially rigid materials,such as metal, plastic, wood, or the like, and in forms such as wire orrods, tubes, panels, or combinations of such materials and forms, asdiscussed above with respect to shelving assembly 10. In the illustratedexample shelving assembly 210, each side unit 230 includes a wire frame232 in the form of a closed loop shape having a pair of substantiallyparallel upright members 232 a and a pair of substantially parallelhorizontal members 232 b. A plurality of wire substantially U-shapedmembers 234 are connected to the frame 232. The substantially U-shapedmembers 234 of this example are connected to the frame 232 at ends 238,and extend outward from the frame 232 in a generally rectangular orclosed U-shaped protrusion 236.

The side units 230 of this example also may include intermediatesupports or locations for placement of graphics or signage, such asshown in the form of slats 240 that are connected to the upright members232 a. Such slats 240 may be formed of materials like those of the frame232 and joined thereto, such as by welding, or may be formed of entirelydifferent materials and connected to the frame 232 by alternativefastening or joining means, such as by use of adhesives, or mechanicalfasteners or other suitable means. The example slats 240 further couldbe formed of a flexible material, such as a film or cloth, and connectedto the frame 232 simply to provide a medium for adding graphics orsignage.

As with the prior example, the structure of the side units 230 isadvantageous because it permits construction with few components, oflike shapes, and by quite conventional construction methods. The exampleside units 230 also are of a common configuration that can serve bothright and left sides of the shelving assembly 210 by inverting androtating one side unit 230 relative to another, such that theirrespective U-shaped protrusions 236 face each other. The commonstructures for the side units 230 reduces the need to make and stockdifferent right and left side units, and the protrusions 236 beingnarrower that the distance between upright members 232 a allows compactstacking of side units 230 for shipment and/or storage when they areplaced in a similar orientation. Thus, while the side units need not becommon, it will be appreciated that side units having such structuresmay provide advantages.

As best appreciated from the illustrations in FIGS. 7-9, the shelvingassembly 210 is configured with first and second side units 230 beingspaced apart, with one side unit 230 inverted and rotated so as to faceand be aligned with the other side unit 230. The protrusions 236 on theside units 230 are inserted into the ends of the respective receptacles226, 228 of a plurality of shelves 220 placed therebetween, and the sideunits 230 are arranged in their desired spacing. The shelving assembly210 of may be assembled in a variety of methods, as discussed above withrespect to the example shelving assembly 10.

In this example shelving assembly 210, the protrusions 236 are sized tosnuggly slide into the channels formed by the receptacles 226, 228. Thecontinuous and connected form of the bottom and legs of thesubstantially U-shaped members 234 permit the receptacles 226, 228 to beopen channels that face each other, and provide added support along thelower surface 222 b of the shelf 220. It will be appreciated that theexample protrusions could be configured to obtain a snap fit, a slipfit, and/or a connection being achieved by use of additional fasteningmethods, such as by use of adhesive or mechanical fasteners. Whenassembled, the shelves 220 become structural elements that connect theside units 230 and form a portion of the overall structure of theshelving assembly 210. In addition, blocking members 229 may then beinserted into the apertures 227 to prevent unintended withdrawal of theprotrusions 236 from the receptacles 226, 228.

As with the example shelving assembly 10, the structure of the exampleshelving assembly 210 also permits the use of common side units 230 withshelves 220 of different lengths. Thus, a series of shelves of a commongreater or lesser length could be used with the side frames 230.Depending on the length chosen for the protrusions 236, the shelveswithin a shelving unit may be of different lengths and/or the side units230 may be moved further apart to add width to the shelving assembly 210without using longer shelves. The protrusions 236 also can be ofdifferent configurations and located at various heights and distancesfrom each other to create different shelving assembly formats. Forinstance, in this example formed of metal wire or rod, the U-shapedmembers 234 have protrusions 236 that are narrower than spacing of theupright members 232 a of the frame 232, and are connected at their ends238 at heights selected to yield three angled shelves. The angle of theU-shaped members 234 and their location along the upright members 232 aand resulting location of their protrusions 236 relative to the frame232, permit many design alternatives.

The receptacles 226, 228 of this illustrated example are shown as beingcontinuous in length and integrally formed with the shelves 220. Thisfurther example receptacle configuration provides enhanced bendingstrength for the shelves 220. It will be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in the art that, as with the prior example shelving assembly 10,the shelf receptacles of the shelving assembly 210 may be configured tobe above, below or in line with the main body of the shelves. Thereceptacles also may be configured to form a shelf front or rear lip, orto form one or more dividers along the upper surface of a shelf, asdesired.

While the present disclosure shows and demonstrates various exampleshelving assemblies that may be adapted for use in point of purchasedisplays of goods, these examples are merely illustrative and are not tobe considered limiting. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that various shelving assemblies may be constructed to beplaced on a surface or to be suspended from a further structure, such asa wall, without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure. Thus, although certain example methods, apparatus andarticles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope ofcoverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, thispatent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairlyfalling within the scope of the appended claims either literally orunder the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A shelving assembly comprising: a plurality of side units with eachside unit having a frame and protrusions extending from the frame; aplurality of shelves having a plurality of receptacles configured toreceive the protrusions extending from the plurality of frames.
 2. Theshelving assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the frame of a firstside unit is substantially in a first plane and the protrusions extendfrom the frame in planes substantially perpendicular to the plane of theframe.
 3. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each sidemember includes protrusions connected to a frame.
 4. The shelvingassembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the protrusions are formed byU-shaped members.
 5. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 1,wherein each side unit includes the protrusions formed integrally withthe frame.
 6. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein eachframe further comprises at least two upright members.
 7. The shelvingassembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each frame further comprises atleast two horizontal members.
 8. The shelving assembly as defined inclaim 1, wherein each frame further comprises at least one slat.
 9. Theshelving assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each shelf has a mainbody and the receptacles of each shelf are connected to the main body.10. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the receptaclesof each shelf are formed integrally with the main body.
 11. The shelvingassembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the side units have a commonconstruction and the shelves are located between a pair of side unitswith one side unit being inverted and rotated relative to the other sideunit.
 12. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the sideunits are spaced apart and the protrusions on the respective side unitsare aligned with and extend toward each other.
 13. The shelving assemblyas defined in claim 1, wherein each shelf further comprises at least oneupstanding lip.
 14. The shelving assembly as defined in claim 1, whereineach shelf further comprises at least one blocking member to preventseparation of a side unit from a shelf.
 15. The shelving assembly asdefined in claim 14, wherein the at least one blocking member isremovable.
 16. A method of forming a shelving assembly comprising:providing at least a pair of side units, with each side unit having aplurality of protrusions extending therefrom; providing a plurality ofshelves, with each shelf having a plurality of receptacles adapted toreceive the respective protrusions of the side units; and wherein theplurality of shelves may be located between the at least pair of sideunits and the plurality of shelves and the at least pair of side unitsmay be moved with respect to each other to locate at least a portion ofthe respective protrusions on the at least pair of side units within therespective receptacles of the shelves.
 17. A method as defined in claim16, wherein each side unit further comprises a frame and the pluralityof protrusions extend perpendicularly relative to the frame.
 18. Amethod as defined in claim 16, wherein forming a shelving assemblyfurther comprises placing a first side unit on a substantiallyhorizontal surface so as to have the frame of the first side unit lay onand be parallel to the substantially horizontal surface while theprotrusions on the frame of the first side unit extend upward at anangle relative to the frame of the first side unit, moving the pluralityof shelves to positions wherein the shelves have the plurality ofprotrusions on the frame of the first side unit received withinreceptacles of the respective shelves, and positioning a second sideunit above the plurality of shelves and moving the second side unitdownward to a position wherein the respective protrusions on the secondside unit are received within receptacles on the respective shelves, andmoving the shelving assembly to an upright position in which theprotrusions of the first and second side units are parallel to thesubstantially horizontal surface.
 19. A method as defined in claim 16,wherein the side units are identical in construction.
 20. A method asdefined in claim 16, wherein in forming the shelving assembly one of theside units of the at least pair of side units is inverted and rotatedrelative to the other of the at least pair of side units so as to havetheir respective protrusions of the side units be aligned with andextending toward each other.